soma Posted May 20, 2005 Share Posted May 20, 2005 I think this is one difference between fundamentalism and mysticism. Those who blend Christ into their lives have no need to preach the word of the Bible because they are living the word. A person of this temperament will follow the letter and the spirit of the word as a matter of principle and not as policy. This person is moral for the sake of eternal value and not because there is a human law, book or hell imposing a punishment to keep him honest. This portrayal of the way of Christ demands intelligence because this theory can't be turned into a mechanical system, a book of rules and crammed into unimaginative minds because it is a spiritual awareness in the here and now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
des Posted May 21, 2005 Author Share Posted May 21, 2005 Very good points, soma. Btw, I see that my topic sounds very harsh the way it comes off, as if I think that the Bible has NOTHING to say about any moral dilemnas. Of course it does. My point that the issues now are ones that the writers never even knew about or imagined,and even those might be spoken about in some way if you read with your heart and not with your eyes. Yet there are others that I don't think you can necessarily even imply. --des Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AletheiaRivers Posted May 21, 2005 Share Posted May 21, 2005 Those who blend Christ into their lives have no need to preach the word of the Bible because they are living the word. "Preach the Gospel at all times; sometimes use words.” St Francis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soma Posted May 22, 2005 Share Posted May 22, 2005 I am working on this as a magazine article, but I think it might apply here where Des you and I are saying the same thing. The Hidden Garden of Ecstasy The hidden garden of ecstasy is not in any particular country,book, church or in some private cottage away from civilization. It lies within each one of us so we just have to find the keys to open the gates. The keys are hidden in our minds, experiences, agonies, and ecstasies. Listening with thought to the inner voice instructs one to properly understand what do do because the river of life is in the garden skipping down to the sea. Every obstacle causes the water to dance every waterfall roars with excitement and every bend brings new enjoyments. The garden's puprpose is to show the totality of life and the aim is to merge with the ocean. To protect the status quo the gates to Ectasy have been closed with the fury of Hell. Minds open with wonder to seek the truth are being closed to science with beliefs opposed to doubt. Marching outside the gates shadows are cast blinding people with imaginary evils, frenzied outbursts and emotional quotes. The tranquil, steady dedication of love inside tthe pearly whites doesn't stop at the gates or at any border. Narrow mindness doesn't dwarf love by shutting out the truth. to be continued...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AletheiaRivers Posted May 22, 2005 Share Posted May 22, 2005 (edited) My using the St Francis quote was to show that many Christians (Saints and non-saints, Catholics and Protestants) believe that how we live and treat each other is just as important, maybe more so, than what we say. I have a online acquaintance, a pagan, who was FLOORED this past Christmas by the love and generosity she received from a church in her neighborhood. She is a single mother and very poor. What especially touched her was that it was PEOPLE who gave to her, not an organization. They didn't draw her name out of a hat or have her assigned to them as an act of charity. They (a few members) had noticed her circumstances and approached her. They explained that they were driven by a love of God and a love of neighbor. (That's not to say that "assigned charitable acts" aren't important.) Anyway, that act she says, did more for her and her view of Christianity than any preaching. In fact, the love that was shown to her MADE UP FOR the preaching she endured from others at other times. I'm extremely turned off by the typical "door to door" evangelizing work that some denominations are involved in. HOWEVER, I believe that the Christian church and Christian individuals should be "missional" and by being so, "preach the word". Edited May 22, 2005 by AletheiaRivers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrotherRog Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 Reminds me of the adage: "Take care in how you live your life, for it may be the only Gospel that some people ever read." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AletheiaRivers Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 Exactly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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